Chapter 132: Colm’s Intelligence
“Angelo Bronte? I know him—but so what? Are you saying Mr. Gray doesn’t have powerful supporters of his own?”
“Maybe Bronte holds great influence in Saint Denis, but this is Rhodes, isn’t it, Mr. Gray?”
Davey spoke with a faint smile. No matter how strong a crime boss was, his reach rarely extended beyond the city.
Old Gray clearly didn’t expect Davey’s grasp of the situation to be so precise. He was momentarily stunned before letting out a hearty laugh.
“Interesting young man. When I was your age, all I ever thought about was hard liquor and women.”
“But Mr. Callander, you must understand—because of certain political ties, I can’t provide you with too much help against the Braithwaite family. At least not in the open.”
“There are some very powerful people involved. I have no intention of earning their wrath.”
Davey chuckled, though his voice carried a cold edge.
“So you’re planning to use my friends to deal with the Braithwaite family, aren’t you?”
“Let them destroy the moonshine operations, provoking the Braithwaites into retaliation.”
“And you’ve already planned ahead—if they fail, you pretend nothing happened.”
“And if they succeed, you get rid of them yourselves. That way, no one can blame the Gray family.”
“Tell me, Mr. Gray—am I wrong?”
Old Gray’s expression darkened. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Davey to see straight through his strategy.
“They’re just a band of wanted men, sir.”
Davey replied calmly, “And am I not the same?”
Dutch thought he held a perfect plan, but he never realized that both the Gray and Braithwaite families had already uncovered their identities.
As locals often said, outsiders rarely came to Rhodes, and Dutch’s group certainly didn’t look like harmless visitors.
When they rescued Trelawny earlier, the sheriff might not have pieced things together yet, simply finding Dutch’s men agreeable enough.
But once he offered them the deputy sheriff titles and asked them to help destroy the Braithwaite family’s moonshine business, the Gray family had undoubtedly confirmed who Dutch really was.
Dutch wanted to exploit the feud between the two families—but the two families were equally exploiting the Van der Linde Gang.
“What do you want, Mr. Callander?”
Old Gray no longer carried the same forcefulness as before.
Davey replied evenly, “Give me information on the Lemoyne Raiders. I know they’re working with Bronte. I’ll help you get rid of them.”
“But I also want the detailed addresses and intel on those distillery managers in Saint Denis.”
Gray immediately responded, “That’s impossible, sir.”
Davey countered, “How would you know it’s impossible, Mr. Gray, unless you speak with the people above you?”
“Whether it’s moonshine or arms dealing, both are important revenue sources for those Italians. This would deal them a serious blow, wouldn’t it?”
“And compared to that, a few small-time distillery managers are nothing. Besides, with calls for prohibition growing louder, this might even suit certain political interests.”
“And I only need addresses and basic intelligence. Many people in Saint Denis know that information. No one will know it came from you.”
Old Gray hesitated. After thinking for a moment, he finally said:
“I’ll need a few days, Mr. Callander—to report to those above me.”
“This isn’t something I can decide alone. If there’s news, I’ll contact you within the next couple of days.”
Davey nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll be waiting at the town inn for Mr. Gray’s good news. But before that, I have a personal request—one I hope Mr. Gray might help with.”
Old Gray frowned. “And what would that be?”
Davey said, “Colm O’Driscoll. I’m sure Mr. Gray is familiar with him.”
“But I’m not sure if Mr. Gray knows that there’s a blood feud between us and the O’Driscoll Gang—one that can’t be resolved.”
“If Mr. Gray is willing to share intelligence on the O’Driscoll Gang, I would be truly grateful.”
Old Gray fell silent, weighing the pros and cons. Before long, he spoke:
“We’re friends, Mr. Callander. And friends should help each other.”
“I do have some dealings with the O’Driscoll Gang. They help distribute my tobacco—business isn’t easy these days, and everyone needs a little help here and there.”
“Of course, compared to working with Mr. Callander, that’s nothing. I can share what I know about them, if it’s useful to you.”
To Old Gray, the O’Driscoll Gang was nothing more than a group of unsavory nobodies. Sharing their information with Davey was of little consequence.
And if the O’Driscoll Gang suffered because of it—what did that matter to the Gray family?
In Old Gray’s eyes, Colm was nothing more than a country thug.
Author's Note
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